Fastener attached structure and fastener for the same



1940- w. c. M FADDEN 2,225,592

FA'STENER ATTACHED STRUCTURE AND FASTENER FOR THE SAME Filed March 2,1938 Even/202': R/i'ibrmf C -Maaibdda y Mala a v wa Patented Dec. 17,1940 PATENT OFFICE FASTENER A'I'IACHED s'raUc'rUna AND FASTENER. FOR THESAME Wilford C. MacFadden, Philadelphia, Pa., assignmto United-CarrFastener Corporation, Cambridge, Mass., a corporation of MassachusettsApplication March 2, 1938, Serial No. 193,473

6 Claims. (Cl. 248-361) My invention relates to improvementsin cliplikefastener devices for securing an electrical or the like unit to asupporting structure and to installations of the same.

1 An object of my invention is to provide a cliplike fastener directedto an improvement over those illustrated and described in connectionwith my pending application Serial No. 174,641, filed November 15, 1931'9 Referring to the drawing, in which I have illustrated preferredembodiments of my invention:

Figure 1 is a top plan view showing one method by which an electricalunit, such as a coil form, may be secured to a support through means ofmy improved fastener member;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the installation shown in Fig. 1 but showingonly a portion of the coil form;

20 Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a top view of the support to which the article is assembled bymeans of my fastener member;

25 Fig. 5 is a front view showing one of my improved fastener members inassembly with the support in position for fastener engagement with thecoil form;

Fig. 6 is a front view showing the manner in 30 which the coil form isengaged with the fastener member;

Fig. 7 is a top view of the installation shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is atop view of my improved clip mem- 35 her per se;

Fig. 9 is a front view of the clip member shown in Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 is a front view showing a modified form of installation.

40 An object of my invention is to provide an improved clip member forsecuring an article of manufacture, such as a coil form or the like, toa supporting panel of a radio set. It is understood, however, that I donot wish to limit 45 the use of my fastener member to installations ofthe type illustrated and described because it may be used advantageouslyfor securing other articles to a supporting structure without departingfrom the scope and spirit of my present 50 invention.

Referring to my first form of installation illustrated in Figs. 1-3, Ihave shown an electrical article of manufacture, such as a coil form I,secured to a supporting structure 2 by means of 66 my improved fastenermember 3 through relative rotative movement of the coil form relative tothe fastener member in a manner to be hereinafter described so that thearticle in final attachment is fixed in upstanding relation to thepanel. The coil form is of cardboard or other 5 suitable material and ispreferably tubular in shape. A pair of apertures 4 and 5 are .formed inopposed sides of the coil form and located in spaced predeterminedrelation to an end thereof. The supporting panel 2, in my pre- 10 ferredform, has a pair of spaced apertures 58 which are dimensioned so as toreceive attaching portions of the fastener member 3 which extendtherethrough and engage the (3011 form I through the apertures 4 and 5so as to secure 1-5 the coil form to the support.

Referring in detail to my preferred form of fastener member 3, I haveshown a spring tempered fastener member having a base I, whichpreferably is bulged inwardly, in normal posi tion of the fastener, asmost clearly shown in Fig. 9. The base 1, as a result of the bulgetherein, is enabled to act as an expansible and contractible portion foreffecting secure engagement of the fastener member with an article to besecured to the supporting panel when the parts of the installation havebeen finally assembled together. At the free ends of the base I I haveprovided a pair of yieldable arms 8 and 9 which extend in angularrelation to the base in spaced relation one to another and are normallyin slightly inclined relation one to another. At the free ends of thearms 8 and 9 I have provided inwardly-extending hook-like portions l0l0which are adapted to engage the covering I through the apertures 4 and 5thereof for securing the coil form to the support. 0pposite edges ofeach of the hook-like portions I0l0 are curved symmetrically toward theoutermost free end of the portion thereby providing camming means lillon opposite sides of the respective hook-like portions (Figs. '1 and 8)adapted to eifect fastener engagement of the coil form with the fastenerthrough rotative movement of the coil form relative to the fastener, aswill .be described.

Assembly of the component parts of my first form of. installation is arelatively simple matter and is carried out through moving the arms 8and 9 of the fastener member through the apertures 66 of the support 2so that the base 1 of the fastener member is disposed on one side of thesupport, which may be'called the lower side, with the hook-like portionsIll-I0 disposed on an opposite side of the support from the base. Next,pressure is exerted on the base 1 by a thumb or finger of the operatoror a. suitable tool (not shown) so as to substantially flatten the basewhereby the hook-like portions of the fastener member are disposed inspaced relation to the support 2 (Fig. 2) at a distance thei from to.enable them to be received by the apertures 4 and 5 i the coil form.While the base I is in the aforesaid flattened position, the coil form Iis moved toward the fastener member so as to engage the hook-likeportions in of the arm 8 with the coil form through the aperture 4thereof. As a result of this step, the parts are positioned relative toeach other with the hook-like attaching portion [0 of the arm 8initially engaged with the material of the coil adjacent the aperture 4and a camming portion ll of the hook-like portion ID of the arm 9 inengagement with an outer surface of the coil form at a point on thesurface thereof spaced from the aperture 5, as most clearly shown inFigs. 6 and 7. Next, having reference to the relative position of theparts as shown in Fig. '7, the coil form is rotated in a clockwisedirection whereupon the arm 9 is moved outwardly away from the arm 8 asa result of engagement of the camming means H of its hook-like portionID with the surface of the coil form until the aperture is turned intoengaging position opposite the hook-like portion III, at which time thearm 9 springs toward the arm 8 to engage the hook-like portion ll) ofthe arm 9 with the coil form through the aperture 5. At the same timethe nook-like portion 10 of the arm 8 will be finally engaged with thecoil form through the aperture 4. When pressure for flattening the baseI is relaxed, opposite ends of the base move toward normal positiontending to pull the hook-like portions l0-l0 in a downward direction soas to engage them with material l2 of the coil form adjacent the lowerside of the apertures 4 and 5, as most clearly shown in Fig. 3. Thus thecoil form is secured in firm attachment to the support.

My second form of installation differs from the installation shown inFigs. 1-3 in that the fastener member 3 is permanently secured to thesupport 2 by an attaching means, such as a rivet 13, having a shank i4extending through an opening I5 in the support 2 and an opening 46 inthe base 1 of the fastener member, and head portions l8 -|8 at oppositeends of the shank l4 engaging respective outer surfaces of the supportand the base. In securing the coil form I to the fastener member of mysecond installation, the base I is flattened to permit relative rotativeengagement of the coil form therewith in the manner in which the coilform is secured to the fastener member of my first installation. Thusthe rivet l3 acts to hold the parts in assembly during the flattening ofthe base of the fastener.

Although I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of myinvention, I do not .wish to be limited thereby because the scope of myinvention is best defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. The method of attaching an article of manufacture having apertures inopposed sides to a support having openings therein by a fastener memberhaving a base and a pair of attaching portions extending from said base,said attaching portions having inwardly-bent portions, which comprisespassing the attaching portions of the fastener through the support,entering one of said inwardly-bent portions into an aperture in saidarticle of manufacture and then rotating said article whereby the otheraperture is brought into alignment with the other inwardly-bent portion,and said article is thereby secured to said support.

2. A method of attaching an article of manufacture having apertures inopposed sides to a support having openings therein by a fastener membercomprising a base having an outwardlybulged formation, and a pair ofattaching portions extending from said base, said attaching portionshaving inwardly-extending hook-like portions, which comprises passingthe attaching portions of the fastener through the support whereby saidbase is disposed on one side of said support and said hook-like portionson an opposite side thereof, applying pressure to said base to flattenthe same to a predetermined degree, entering one of said hook-likeportions into an aperture of said article of manufacture, rotating saidarticle whereby the other aperture is brought into alignment with theother hook-like portion and then releasing pressure on said base so thatsaid hook-like portions move into engagement with material of saidarticle adjacent said apertures whereby said article is secured to saidsupport.

3. In combination, an article of manufacture having apertures in opposedsides, a support having openings therein and a fastener member forsecuring said article to said support, said fastener member having abase disposed on one side of said support, a pair of arms extending fromsaid base through said support and having inwardly-bent portions on theother side of said support from said base, and one of said inwardlybentportions being engaged with said article through an aperture thereofupon relative rotation of said article whereby said article is securedto said support, and one of said inwardly-bent portions having cammingmeans whereby it is movable relative to the other of said inwardlybentportions during said relative rotation of said article.

4. In combination, a tubular-shaped article of manufacture havingapertures in opposed sides, an apertured support and a. fastener memberfor securing said article to said support, said fastener member having ayieldable base disposed on one side of said support, a pair of spacedarms extending from said base through said support, said arms havinghook-like portions at their free ends, one of said hook-like portionsbeing initially engaged with said article through an aperture thereof,the other of said hook-like portions being engaged with said articlethrough another aperture upon relative rotation of said article wherebysaid article is secured to said support, and each of said hook-likeportions having a curved edge whereby one of said hook-like portions iscammed away from the other of said hook-like portions upon engagementwith the curved outer surface of said article during said relativerotation thereby to engage said last-mentioned hook-like portion withsaid article through one of said apertures.

5. In combination, an article of manufacture having apertures in opposedsides, a support having openings therein and a fastener member forsecuring said article to said support, said fastener member having abase disposed on one side of said support, attaching means securing saidbase to said support, a pair of arms extending aaaasea from said basethrough said support and having inwardly-bent portions on the other sideof said support from said base, and one of said inwardlybent portionsbeing engaged with said article through an aperture thereof uponrelative rotation of said article whereby said article is secured tosaid support.

6. In combination, an articlemf manufacture having an aperture in'a sidethereof, a support and a fastener member for securing said article tosaid support, said fastener having a base secured to said support,a'pair oi arms extending portions for engaging said articie to securethe same tosaid support} one of said inwardly-extending portions beingengaged with said article through an aperture thereof upon relativerotation of said article, and one 01 said inwardlyextending portionshaving camming means whereby it is movable relative to the other of saidinwardly-extending portions during said relative rotation 01' saidarticle.

WILFORD C. MACFADDEN.

